Saturday 24th November is a date that is sure to live long in the memory of Preston North End's new supremo Alan Irvine. The Scotsman will take to the turf at Deepdale for the first time as manager of PNE, his first steps in full-time management following a long and illustrious apprenticeship in the game.

"It's a massive day for me personally but for the Club it is another day under a different manager," was Irvine's honest analysis looking forward to Saturday's events.

"I'm very excited about it, I will be nervous before the game, I was in the last game I was involved in which was down at Chelsea.

"I will probably be a bit more nervous than normal because I will be right out in the front-line this time but it is something I will really looking forward to, I will be really proud to walk out that day."

North End are expecting a bumper crowd for the start of a new chapter in the history of the Lilywhites. Prices have been reduced and the Chairman is hopeful of a crowd topping close to sixteen thousand and Irvine admits that it would be great if as many fans can return to Deepdale as possible.

He said: "It'd be terrific, the fans are really important and it would be absolutely fantastic if they could get behind us. I know that the fans need something from the team, they need the team to make them feel good but the team could do with something from the fans and right now we probably need to help each other.

"If we can get something like 16,000 in and they are noisy and well behind us then even better."

It's sure to be a baptism of fire for the former Everton assistant, Saturday's televised clash at home to Charlton is closely followed by a trip to Crystal Palace and then a visit to Wolves on the Saturday after, Irvine admits that that won't give him much time to work with the team on the training ground but that if the lads continue to show the kind of stuff they already have done then there will be no problems.

"I don't know what they have been training like before but I certainly know that they trained at a great intensity today. Whether that's a reaction to me coming in or not I don't know, if they continue to train like that then I won't have too many problems.

"I've said to them that from what I knew about them last season, I watched them quite a lot last season and from what I saw in pre-season when Everton played here and I expected the team to be at the top end of the league and I fully believed that that was the position that they should be in.

"I also said to them that they must have expected that last Christmas when they were doing so well, they must have thought that they would continue to be a top team.

"I don't see there being too many changes and I don't see why they shouldn't be a top team that are competing at that level. The way that they have trained, with the quality as well as the intensity I don't see why there is any reason why we shouldn't be up at the top end of the league."

One of the hardest aspects of Alan Irvine's first game in charge will be selecting eleven players to wear the shirt against the Addicks, and the Scotsman admits that he won't play to great a role in that process for the game against Charlton, choosing to rely heavily on the advice of the backroom staff who were already in place at Deepdale.

"I have already said to Rob and Billy that I will lean very heavily on them for the team for this game," Irvine said.

"I'm not in a position to pick the team for this game, I'm not trying to pass the buck or put any pressure on them, it wouldn't be right, I have no form to base any decisions on. I've got nothing to go on to say that that's the team that will be, I'd be throwing the names in a hat really and I don't want to do that.

"I've known Rob for a number of years and I respect him and he's been a manager before. From talking to the lads, they've talked long and hard about what they think the team should be, the staff have talked about it already, they didn't know whether I was going to be in here or not, I'll rely on them for this game and then I'll pick the team for the next game."

Picking the team is one of the many jobs that will come under Irvine's remit at Deepdale, a role quite different to the one he had under David Moyes at Goodison Park. Being number two at one of the top Premiership clubs is a job that he could have quite comfortably stayed in for a long time, but the challenge of management at Championship level has proven to be too strong for the determined Scotsman.

"I wouldn't have given up the job I gave up to come and take on this job if I didn't think that this could be successful. I have been very fortunate throughout my career that everywhere I've been there has been an element of success and I don't want this to be the first time that I fail.

"I haven't come here expecting to fail, I've come here expecting the club to be successful," added the North End boss.

There's less than 24 hours till kick-off. Tickets are available on mypne.com till midnight Friday, and from the ticket office in person with the ticket office opening at 9am on Saturday. Don't forget the reduced prices start at just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.